Josh Hamilton's disastrous two-plus years with the Los Angeles Angels appear to be leading him back to the Texas Rangers.
According to a source the Rangers are nearing a deal to bring Hamilton back to Texas. The details have to be worked out as the Angels still have to figure a way out of the $83 million owed to Hamilton and what compensation comes from the Rangers.
According to Yahoo Sports the Rangers will pick up $15 million of the deal and MLB.com reported that no players will change hands.
If Hamilton returns to Texas, he'll do so after two bad seasons with the Angels that were marked by injuries and inconsistency. He hasn't played this season because of offseason surgery on his shoulder.
The surgery wasn't the tipping point for the Angels desire to get rid of Hamilton though. It was an abuse relapse, the third known for Hamilton since he began playing with the Rangers, which pushed the Angels towards ending their relationship with Hamilton.
Hamilton wasn't suspended by Major League Baseball for the relapse. Owner Arte Moreno was upset after Hamilton won a grievance and wasn't suspended by MLB, leaving the Angels on the hook for his contract.
Hamilton's off-field problems would probably been less of a concern if he had performed better on the field for the Angels. But since signing a five year, $125 million deal following the 2012 season Hamilton hasn't been anything close to the player he was in his first five seasons with the Rangers.
He played in 151 games in 2013 but batted just .250 with 21 home runs and 79 RBI. That was a monster season compared to 2014 though when Hamilton was limited to 89 games and had just 10 home runs and 44 RBI.
Hamilton was a key figure in the back-to-back World Series trips for the Rangers in 2010 and 2011. He was the American League Most Valuable Player in 2010 and was an All-Star in each of his five seasons.
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